‘Million Dollar Island’ Gets Aussie Remake — Global Briefs

John De Mol’s ‘Million Dollar Island’ Set For Australian Remake On Seven

John de Mol’s latest format Million Dollar Island has expanded its growing international footprint after Australia’s Seven Network commissioned a local version. The social experiment series, which NBC is lining up in the U.S., is being readied for a 2023 debut, with local producer Eureka Productions attached. The format, from de Mol’s Talpa Concepts and Monday Media, sees 100 people stay on a remote island and compete in games to win bracelets that could net then a million dollars in total. It recently launched on SBS6 in the Netherlands, with Amazon Prime Video taking a day-and-date SVoD window. Talpa Distribution shops the format on the international market. “John de Mol has developed some of the most original, successful and impactful formats in television history,” said Seven Chief Content Officer, Entertainment Programming, Angus Ross. “The game play, strategy, emotion and drama – set in a beautiful, remote location – will make Million Dollar Island one of the must-watch TV shows of 2023.”

Discovery Kids Latin America & The UK’s Pop Buy UYoung’s Animated Action Comedy ‘Kung Fu Wa!’

Discovery Kids Latin America and UK children’s channel Pop will both air Asian animation action comedy Kung Fu Wa!. The Discovery network struck its deal with Chinese producer UYoung Media, which originally co-produced the series with streaming giant Tencent Video, while Pop’s owner Narrative Entertainment dealt with distributor Federation Kids & Family. The 52-part show follows a young girl who is transformed into a superhero when she puts on a sock that is actually an ancient kung fu master.

BBC2 Sets Cancer Doc

BBC2 has ordered a one-off doc about British mathematician and TV presenter Professor Hannah Fry’s battle against cervical cancer. In Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry, the academic, who was diagnosed with stage three cancer during the Covid-19 pandemic and required radical surgery to save her life, will look at current medical thinking and how treating cancer needs reassessing. Caroline Flack: Her Life & Death producer Curious Films is attached, with Harriet Bird directing.